Posts Tagged: veteran

Giselle Sterling and her father, Nelson, both served in the Marines — she in Afghanistan, he in Vietnam. They’re only now beginning to talk to each other about the experience of war, and what it’s done to their long-term pictures of themselves.

One betrays his or her sense of what’s right, under orders, in a high-stakes situation. By the mid-1990s, psychologist Jonathan Shay called the condition that results “moral injury.” The idea is gaining traction among researchers, veterans and the military — but not everyone is embracing the idea.

There’s growing interest in a condition known as moral injury — or, wounds to a veteran’s spirit or soul from events that “transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.” The concept has helped one Marine better understand what years of PTSD treatment never fully addressed.

Traumatic brain injury often causes trouble with concentration, reading comprehension and memory — the very things that would likely prevent academic success. For veterans attempting to navigate the rhythms of college life, they can spell disaster.

We’ve been reporting on wait times at Veterans Affairs offices for a few months now, and we’d like you to listen to a few things we’ve heard and tell us how they do (or don’t) correspond with your experience.

More than 800,000 claims for disability benefits are languishing in the VA’s overstretched system. Veterans — often young — waiting on their claims can find themselves in desperate financial straits. A fund in Arizona acts as a stopgap to get them through.